Sierramin Bauxite: Introduction
sierramin bauxite limited is currently developing a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the port loko license
The bauxite bearing belt covers an area of 375km2 in the Port Loko District, which is located in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. There is a potential of more than 600 million tons of bauxite in the belt, based on exploration work carried out by Sierramin till date.
SRK UK Ltd. confirmed 103 million tons of JORC compliant resources in limited areas of this bauxite deposit. The Project enjoys an excellent infrastructure facility and a developed iron ore jetty is located just 20km from the bauxite deposits.
why west africa?
West africa is known for its rich bauxite deposits in guinea, sierra leone and ghana
In Sierra Leone, bauxite mining started in the sixties and presently exports are several million tons per annum. The washed bauxite is considered one of the best quality ore for low temperature alumina refineries.
The Port Loko bauxite deposit may be considered an extension of the same bauxite belt which is well known in Sierra Leone. The Port Loko bauxite belt has potential of more than 600 million tons of gibbsitic bauxite and this occurs almost on the surface with little over burden.
Bauxite and alumina market overview
The bauxite market is further growing as limited resources of china are slowly drying up and more and more alumina refineries are dependent on import of bauxite
Leading bauxite exporting countries are Guinea, Australia, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Some of the Indian, European and other alumina refineries of the world are also importing bauxite, however, quantity is much less compared to Chinese import. Bauxite cost component of alumina production costs is determined by 3 variables;
technical summary of port loko bauxite
Bauxite in the port loko area occurs as a series of elongated lenses / pods in various low lying plateaus / blocks at an elevation of 60m to 80m
The bauxite is gibbsitic in nature and amenable to dry and wet beneficiation processes. Similar types of bauxite formed on Kassila series of rocks are being mined and beneficiated at Gondama and Mokanji areas.
Bauxite areas are generally buried beneath an over burden of between 1m and 5m of soft soil mixed with lateritic gravel.
